Man arrested for allegedly crashing stolen car into police vehicle

Published 12:36 pm, Friday, December 5, 2014

A 17-year-old man was arrested Thursday for allegedly crashing a stolen vehicle into a police vehicle while he was evading police and possessing illegal drugs, according to court documents.

Marcos Duarte was being held in Midland County jail on Friday for a first-degree felony charge of aggravated assault against a public servant, a second-degree felony of possession of a controlled substance between four grams and 200 grams, and a third-degree felony charge of evading arrest or detention with a vehicle.

The incident began early Thursday morning in Odessa with theft of an SUV. It continued about 11:40 a.m. when a U.S. marshal reported to the Midland Police Department that he was driving behind that SUV. A police officer came to assist. The SUV, which was traveling eastbound on Wadley Avenue at Midland Drive, passed the westbound officer, who observed three men in the vehicle, two in the front and one in the back, according to the arrest affidavit. The lawmen followed the SUV, and when the MPD officer attempted a traffic stop, the driver -- later identified as Duarte -- failed to pull over.

The lawmen pursued the SUV, which reached speeds of up to 85 mph on residential streets. At one point, Duarte turned onto Sinclair Avenue and jumped the curb. The driver headed eastbound on Sinclair toward Midkiff Avenue and rammed a MPD vehicle, according to the affidavit.

Duarte and the SUV passengers were eventually apprehended in Odessa. Duarte attempted to flee the scene, but as he was being arrested, he told officers he had “dope,” or narcotics, on him, according to the affidavit. Officers located a wooden box in the left front pocket of Duarte’s pants containing five grams of cocaine, 10 grams of marijuana and a marijuana smoking pipe, according to the affidavit.

The officer whose car allegedly was rammed said that he was in pain from the accident, and was transported to the emergency room at Midland Memorial Hospital by a fellow officer.

If convicted, Duarte faces up to 99 years in jail for the first-degree felony charge, 20 years in jail for the second-degree felony charge, and 10 years in jail for the third-degree felony charge.